Lamine Yamal is the name on everyone’s lips after his stunning goal against France in the Euro 2024 semi-final. The 17-year-old became the youngest goal scorer in the tournament’s history with his superb curling strike.
It has been a remarkable rise to prominence over the last year for the teenager, who has become a regular for Barcelona. And there is plenty of excitement around his future after a hugely impressive Euro 2024 campaign.
Several posts on social media have highlighted how young Yamal really is. One pointed out that he was just 12 when the Covid-19 pandemic started. Another remarked that Yamal could play at World Cup 2038 before he turns 30.
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Why did Lamine Yamal have a photo with Lionel Messi?
Perhaps the most astonishing thing to emerge on social media, though, was a photo of a young Lionel Messi holding a baby Yamal. It was taken for a charity calendar at Camp Nou in 2007 and resurfaced when the Spain star’s father reposted it on Instagram with the caption: “The beginning of two legends.”
The photographer, Joan Monfort, has since admitted that he did not know the baby was Yamal until very recently.
“Messi is a pretty introverted guy, he’s shy,” Monfort said. “He was coming out of the locker room and suddenly he finds himself in another locker room with a plastic tub full of water and a baby in it. It was complicated. He didn’t even know how to hold him at first.
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“It’s very exciting to be associated with something that has caused such a sensation. To tell you the truth it’s a very nice feeling.”
Almost 17 years after the photo was taken, Yamal scored in a European Championship semi-final, just a few hours before Messi scored in a Copa America semi-final.
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